Happy 6 Months

Valentine's Day was about love in the Hurst house for more than just the usual reason. Our baby boy turned 6 months old!  Half way to a year? Unbelievable! 

I really can't think of descriptives for this little guy that I haven't already splattered all over this blog... happy, smiley, loving, loud, dimply, and oh so sweet.

I believe we have a crawler in our near future! He is sitting up very well and rocking on all fours. He already manages to get ALL over the place, but I'm not exactly sure how. (Is he crawling when my head is turned or just rolling over and scooting?!) No words or teeth yet, but lots going on with that mouth! Always a chatterbox, always chewing or drooling, and even giving kisses! Open mouth ones, of course.

He has only been to the pediatrician once for his newborn check-up so I honestly have no clue how much he weighs. Maybe 16-20lbs? 

He rocks to sleep, still nurses every 3-4 hours, and wakes twice in the night. (Boo for me). We introduced food this week (more on that tomorrow), so I'm hoping for some longer stretches of sleep soon! 

This is why I write to you, why I take your picture as much as I can, why I try to stay in the present soaking up each special moment and breathing the whole experience in! I want you to know that I’ve loved you to the fullest each step of the way! 

Will you be my Valentine?

We just had the best Valentine's Day. I admit, I'm a hope(ful) romantic and usually have unrealistic expectations about how I want to experience this holiday. Last year my hubby and I joined friends for sushi and he surprised me with a towel warmer. (Don't judge. You know you wish you had a dryer-warm towel waiting on you post shower). This year we decided to spend the evening together as a family, making memories and basking in the overflowing love that Jesus has poured into our lives. 

We cooked an amazing dinner! The menu? Tuna steaks, horseradish and parmesan crusted "filet" (chuck eye), scallops and fettucini alfredo, and brocollini. And our traditional Johnny Leverock's brownie and Hershey bar a la mode with raspberry sauce. YUM!!!!! We ate like royalty, for sure. 

Grace Louise helped set the table with china and candles (something we should do more often perhaps, since she was much better mannered than usual). Jimmy and I put the kiddos to bed as soon as possible and enjoyed a movie and the rest of the evening by ourselves. :-)

Earlier in the day the kids and I celebrated with our homeschool group at the park. Grace Louise made "Crazy About You" valentines with crazy straws to give to her friends. In return, her bag was filled with sweet cards and treats from her friends. What fun... even in the rain! 

A wet and soggy Valentine's Day made for a perfect afternoon relaxing and reading inside before nap time. I snuggled my girl close and read Because I Love You, by Max Lucado. A beautiful illustration of God's unfailing love for us and His desire and willingness to bring us back to Him through Jesus Christ. 

We love because He first loved us. -1 John 4:19

Youth Fair

Now that I have a few years of blogging under my belt, I love going back to compare seasons of life and see how Grace Louise and our family has changed and grown. Here we are again- fair time. What seems like just yesterday, was a year ago that we were attending the Polk County Youth Fair and making plans to take our sweet girl to the state fair. Here is a link to some pics I snapped of our experience last year. I had just shared the news of my pregnancy with James H and was about 2.5 months along. 

This year our nephew, Triston, was the only family member with a hog that made weight. Showing and selling at the fair was a huge part of my childhood and I'm thrilled to support my own children and family in doing the same. Grace Louise watched the hog sale with enthusiasm and fearlessly toured the cattle exhibits, wanting to pet, feed, or lead every cow! We ended our day with dinner at the Frostproof FFA tent. Many wonderful people. Many wonderful memories.

Squeaky Clean

Bubby loves his once a week bath! And Sissy loves to help! (The day of his bath and the day after result in horrible eczema flare-up, which is why he only gets one bath a week). I'm looking forward to these two playing and splashing in the tub together soon. Until then, he embraces the womb-like experience in the Tummy Tub, knees to chest, then standing up and splashing, making a big ol' mess!

Home grown and sugar sweet

We love the abundance of fresh, juicy Florida citrus right now! Sadly, I don't think a hands-on aspect of orange groves and the citrus industry will be much a part of Grace Louise's childhood tapestry, as it was mine. I learned how to drive up and down the grove middles, worked planting and caring for trees since before I was even a teenager, and ultimately developed quite a love for this little fruit tree and the farmers and industry that make it happen. I will, however, teach my children where their food comes from and the hard work that goes into getting it to our table. And as much as possible, we'll get back to the basics... pick it, squeeze it, drink it :-)